


Don't Count on Wishes

by allmylovesatonce



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-30 12:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3936127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmylovesatonce/pseuds/allmylovesatonce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A slight AU that explores what would have happened if Danny and Mindy had never become friends. Starts during the season three finale!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Twisting Fate

Danny didn’t want to marry her. That was literally all she could process. Yes, he had kind of said why but she didn’t care. He didn’t want to marry her. Mindy left Annette’s house as quickly as she could. There was no way she was sticking around to catch the pitied glances of his mother’s friends and their coworkers.

She took a cab to the city. They were quickly approaching the apartment when Mindy realized she couldn’t face him. He would come back eventually and she would have to face him. She didn’t think she could do it tonight. There was still a chance Danny would chase after her and if that happened, she wouldn’t be able to really process everything. Mindy leaned forward and asked the cabbie to drop her off near Central Park.

Mindy wandered to a bench and sat down to think. How could she have felt so confident in their relationship when he didn’t want to marry her? She thought early on that maybe she’d have to convince him a little. She never imagined he would flat out refuse to marry her. Mindy blamed a lot of people for how angry and hurt she felt right now. She blamed Danny, of course, for not being honest with her. But a big part of her also blamed Alan and Christina. They had taken a seemingly normal man and ruined him for other women, namely her.

She tucked her coat tighter around her and ran her hands over her growing belly. She looked down at her stomach and tried picturing her son. It had become a thing she did. When something cool happened, she imagined celebrating that moment with her son. Danny was usually there too. Now all she could picture as she imagined her son was him crying and her joining him as she tried to parent him alone.

Mindy didn’t want to be a single mother. She may have told Danny she could handle it when she thought he was upset about the pregnancy, but she didn’t really mean it. She was terrified that she would mess the kid up. She and Danny worked best as a system of checks and balances. She would reign in his grumpy, old man side and make him embrace the new century and in turn he would reign in her impulsive, overspending side so she didn’t run them out of money. Mindy honestly thought they’d make a great parenting team. But now she didn’t know how she could even look at Danny, let alone share the joy of a new baby with him.

The tears started to fall as Mindy started reflecting on their relationship. She kept trying to find the moment she could point to and say “Ah. That’s when it was. That’s when I should have known he wasn’t going to marry me.” No thoughts sprung to her mind though. All she could remember were the moments where they planned their future or talked about their wedding as if it were inevitable. She kept hearing Danny in her mind repeating every kind and important thing he had ever said to her, even when they were just friends.

Mindy was an open book. She prided herself on that. She may have certain things she kept hidden, but there really wasn’t a lot. She was mad at herself for not realizing that Danny was keeping something from her. It shouldn’t be on her though. He should have been as upfront as she was about their relationship. His face when he told her they were going to be a family elated her. She had been crushed that evening by his continued exclusion of her. Danny was a very “two steps forward, three steps back” kind of man and Mindy had had enough.

As she brushed away her tears, Mindy thought long and hard about how to resolve this problem with the best interest of their child. It wasn’t just Mindy anymore. They were both excited for their child to be born, but could they really have a relationship where they were only co-parents? Mindy wasn’t so sure. She was always the person who caved. Not this time though. She knew that if she caved, she would regret it and it would all flare up at a time that would hurt her child more.

The worst part of it all was that she never saw it coming. She had honestly always figured they’d get married eventually. She’d mentioned wanting to get married even before they dated. Back when they were friends, she still spoke of her dreams for her life. The last person she expected to forget about her dreams was her best friend. Danny was her best friend.

Mindy thought of what her life was like before she forced her friendship on Danny. Yeah, she was flakier and he was a jerk, but she was still happy, albeit a bit delusional too. But what would have happened if she hadn’t befriended Danny? Would she still be pregnant and unmarried, sitting on a park bench crying? Her best guess said no. Maybe her life would have taken a vastly different turn if Danny hadn’t been a part of it. Her life could have been better if Danny hadn’t been the voice in her head and the ruler by which she measured all other men. If Danny was just the guy she worked with, Mindy could be happier.

“Damn it,” Mindy huffed under her breath. “Danny and I should never have become friends.”

Mindy looked out and surveyed the empty park. She tried to focus on how good her life could be if Danny hadn’t insisted on complicating it. As she continued to cry, Mindy breathed out quietly, “I wish Danny Castellano and I had never become friends.” She wiped away her tears and looked up to see lightning streaking across the sky. Before she could react, a bolt flew down from the sky and struck her park bench.

**

Mindy woke up in bed feeling really odd. Without opening her eyes, she reached down to stroke her pregnant belly only to find that it wasn’t there anymore. Her eyes flew open about as fast as she shot up in bed. She looked down to see her baby-less stomach. Panicked, she called for Danny. When she got no response, she finally looked up to see that she was not in Danny and Mindy’s apartment, but in her old apartment and in her old bed. Mindy was freaking out. She ran around her apartment in hopes for an answer but none were there. She finally stopped where she was in the middle of her kitchen.

She swallowed as she started to cry. With one last desperate whisper, she cried, “Danny?”  


	2. Who Even Are You?

Mindy decided that the only way she could figure out what was happening was to see what other people were experiencing. Maybe they were all as confused as she was. She looked at her clock and realized she needed to get to work quickly. She didn’t even think about what to wear. She put on a dress at random, threw her hair up in a bun, applied basic makeup, and sprinted off for the office. Maybe Danny would be there and would have an answer to this strange predicament.

Mindy checked her phone as she got off the elevator. It was 9:20. Well it’s not like she was ever early, anyway. She strolled in, trying to feign confidence even though she still had no clue what was going on in the world. She strode up to reception and idly started checking her messages, hoping to glean the situation casually.

“Well, nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Dr. Lahiri,” she heard Danny say as he walked out of his office. She looked up to meet his eyes and saw there was no humor in them. He meant it. He was different too.

“So sorry, Danny, but if you knew the morning I had, I think you’d be more understanding.”

He looked at her shrewdly. “Was your train late?”

“Um, no…”

“Couldn’t catch a cab here?”

“No. It wasn’t that.”

“Did you have a wardrobe malfunction? Is one of your best friends going through a break up? Did you realize this morning that you’ll probably die alone?”

“Umm, excuse me, but –“

“No matter what, you should be on time. Work starts at 9:00, Dr. Lahiri. Maybe start acting like a professional for once in your life,” Danny scolded before turning back for his office.

Mindy stood there stunned. She hadn’t heard Danny talk like this to almost anyone in years. She had forgotten how harsh he could be. She nodded curtly to no one before running to her office before anyone could see the tears in her eyes. Clearly whatever made her wake up in her own apartment and not pregnant had affected Danny too. What the hell was happening?

As she finished blotting away her tears, she heard a knock at her door. Jeremy ducked his head in before she could even respond.

“Hey there, Chap. I heard your little scuffle with Danny. Are you doing alright?”

Mindy was confused by Jeremy’s sweetness. Usually when Danny and she had arguments at the office, he stayed the hell out of them unless they had something to do with work.

“Yeah. I mean he was being a real dick today. What the hell was up with that?”

“What do you mean? Danny’s always a dick,” Jeremy replied with a laugh.

“Not anymore though. I mean, yeah, sometimes, but not like the old days.”

“What old days?”

“What?”

“What?”

They both stared at each other, confused by the other person. Jeremy shook off the confusion.

“Whatever. I was just curious if you needed a little comforting.”

“Well I wouldn’t hate a bear claw. I was running late for work this morning and couldn’t grab one on my way here.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant. You could maybe go get one after though.”

“After what?”

“After…you know…”

“I really don’t…”

Jeremy sighed heavily. “Don’t make me spell it out for you Mindy. You’re a grown woman for crying out loud!”

Mindy shook her head. “I’m sorry but I really don’t…” She paused as the wheels started to turn. “Holy shit! Do you mean sex?” Mindy whispered out the last word.

“Well obviously.”

“Oh my God! No!”

“What? Why not?”

Mindy stood up from her desk. “Other than obvious reasons, we’re at work.”

“That didn’t bother you two days ago.”

“Holy crap! But what about Danny?”

“What about Danny?” Jeremy asked looking incredibly confused.

Mindy froze. In whatever strange world she had woken up in, she and Danny must not still be together.

“I, uh, just, um, figured he’d be pissed. You know, uh, that it was at work,” Mindy stammered.

“Eh, forget about Danny. You just let me know, okay?”

Mindy was disgusted. She grimaced and then nodded, hoping he would just leave.

Things Mindy had realized so far in this strange, strange morning: She was no longer pregnant. Daniel Castellano was back to being his uptight, grouchy, mean self. Jeremy was still a weird pervert who was apparently seducing Mindy on the reg.

This was either a crazy nightmare or Mindy had somehow jumped into another world. One where it seemed like she and Danny weren’t even friends.

And then it hit her. _Like she and Danny weren’t even friends._ Suddenly she flashed back to the last thing she remembered before waking up in the wrong bed. She had wished that she and Danny had never become friends. Then there was that weird lightning strike. Could that be what had done this?  Was she living in an alternate universe where she had never won Danny over with her friendship? How was that even possible? And what else was affected by the fact that she and Danny became friends? How much else would be changed? These were all questions she needed answered stat.

Walking out of her office, she noticed Betsy sitting at reception. Well, there was one difference. Maybe Betsy never awkwardly fell in love with Danny and then left mysteriously after she confessed her love for him and he went after Mindy.

“Hey Bets!”

“Morning, Dr. L!” Well apparently Betsy was cheery in any world.

Mindy leaned in really close and Betsy mirrored her, sensing something was up.

“Could you reschedule my morning? I have like a crazy amount of paperwork and I have stuff I need to do. Just reschedule me till lunch. Think you could do that?”

“Sure thing!”

“Could you also do it on the down low so Jeremy and Danny don’t know?”

“Of course, Dr. Lahiri!”

Mindy remembered how cheery and helpful Betsy always was. Maybe they should find her and try to get her back. She was pretty damn efficient.

“Thanks, Bets!” Mindy replied as she turned to go to phlebotomy. Surely she could figure something out from Morgan.

Mindy knocked quickly on the door and then stuck her head in. “Morgan, my man! What’s going on?”

“Nothing, my queen! How about yourself?”

“I’m having a pretty weird morning, to be honest.”

“What’s going on?”

“Well, I came in late, Danny yelled at me, and then Jeremy propositioned me for sex. So overall not the best morning I’ve ever had.”

“Sorry, but how is that different from every other morning?” Morgan asked hesitantly.

Mindy looked at Morgan quizzically. Well great.

“So where’s Tamra? Has she come in yet today?” Mindy asked nonchalantly.

Morgan looked at her with a bewildered gaze. “Who’s Tamra?”

“Who’s Tam – wait, did Danny not fire you?”

“Oh my God! Is Dr. C gonna fire me?” Morgan started freaking out. “I’m good at my job. The patients love me! I’ve never done anything wrong. Well I mean anything big. I’m a great worker. Why would Dr. Castellano want to fire me? Is he going on one of his “I’m divorced and I hate my life” rampages again? I swore I’d make sure I was never one of his casualties!”

“Oh my God, Morgan, stop!” Mindy exclaimed, grabbing Morgan’s face between her hands. “I won’t let Danny fire you. I don’t think he’s planning on it anyway. You _are_ good at your job. Just don’t do anything stupid like go through his desk and mail any unsent letters to his ex-wife. Okay?”

“What kind of idiot would do that? And when would I ever get into his office without him knowing? It’s not like he socializes with _anyone_ in the office.”

“Good. Just be smart, Morgan. I’m leaving now.”

So Betsy was here but Tamra wasn’t. Danny was still a divorcee. It seemed all very “three years ago” to Mindy. A thought occurred to Mindy and she turned around.

“Morgan, potentially weird question, but do you know where Peter is?”

Morgan looked up from the computer and stared at her for a second. “Prentice?”

Mindy’s excitement started to build. “Yes. Peter Prentice.”

“The guy who worked here for like two months before Dr. C had him fired?”

And Mindy’s excitement crumbled. “That would be the one.”

“Nope. No clue where he went after Dr. C had security throw him and his things out of the building after Peter accidentally touched Dr. C’s peter. If you know what I mean.”

“Yes, Morgan, I know what you mean.”

“His penis. I meant his penis.”

“Yeah, I got that, Morgan.”

“Just making sure.”

Mindy turned away to walk back to her office. She needed to get ahold of Peter and see what she could glean from talking to him. She didn’t think it would be much if he only worked here for a few months. Odds were he probably wouldn’t even remember Mindy. In the real timeline, Danny was the one who convinced Mindy to get to know Peter.

Mindy was thankful that she had once upon a time memorized Peter’s number during her breakup. She called it, hoping she wouldn’t completely scare him off. As it rang, she was trying to think of ways to not sound insane.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Dr. Peter Prentice?”  Mindy asked trying to sound polite and professional.

“Mindy?”

“Peter?!”

“Holy crap, Mindy! The weirdest thing is happening to me today! I woke up in New York. And when I ran into Lauren she acted like she didn’t even know who I was. We’re supposed to get married tomorrow. I have no clue what’s going on and I’m freaking out! Mindy, what do I do? What do I do?!”

Mindy smiled, thankful that maybe she wasn’t alone in this. “Here’s what you do, Peter. Meet me at my place tonight after I get off work. I think I might have an idea of what’s going on.”

“Okay. Thank God.”

“But Peter, I wouldn’t get too hopeful just yet,” Mindy said, surveying the office from her doorway. “Things have kind of gone to shit here too.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? I hope good things. Let me know! :)


	3. Let's Get Down to Business

Mindy was pacing back and forth through her apartment as she waited for Peter to show up. Finally she heard three knocks close together followed by two knocks further apart. She flew to the door and looked through the peephole. Peter was standing there, rocking on his heels.

“Peter! That wasn’t the knock we agreed upon!” Mindy cried.

“I don’t care. It’s me. Just let me in!” Peter whined.

Mindy stood back and opened the door for him, letting it block her.

“I still don’t understand why you wanted to meet here. I thought you let the guy who replaced me live here.”

“Yeah well –“ Mindy started before Peter’s gasp interrupted her.

Peter's hands were covering his mouth as he stared at her in shock.

“What?”

“Where’s your baby? You’re supposed to be pregnant!” Peter nearly whispered.

Mindy looked down and laid a hand over her stomach. She looked back up with a frown. “Well if Danny and I aren’t friends, the odds of him impregnating me go _way_ down.”

“What do you mean if you and Danny aren’t friends?”

“It’s a long story Peter.”

“Well tell me. Apparently I have all the time in the world now that I’m not getting married tomorrow,” Peter replied, frustrated.

“I don’t really know what’s going on but I think I have an idea…”

“And?”

“And I said something stupid because I was upset and somehow it sent us into this alternate reality where everything sucks.”

Peter stared at Mindy trying to translate her vague explanation. “I’m gonna need you to be more specific, Mindy.”

Mindy took a deep breath and spat out the explanation at top speed. “I was mad at Danny and I said I wished we’d never become friends and now we aren’t and Jeremy thinks I want to sleep with him all the time and Betsy’s still at work and Tamra was never hired there and Danny had you fired after like two months and he treated me like crap today and apparently you never met and fell in love with Lauren or moved to Texas and everything is terrible and it’s all my fault,” Mindy finished, inhaling deeply.

Peter took a moment to really process what she said. After a long pause he finally spoke. “Why would you wish you and Danny weren’t friends?”

Mindy looked away. It had been so stupid. She loved her friendship with Danny and she loved what it had transitioned into. “Danny doesn’t want to marry me,” Mindy explained simply.

“Well yeah. If you aren’t even friends why would he want to marry you?”

Mindy shook her head as tears sprang to her eyes. “No, I mean our Danny. The real Danny. He doesn’t want to marry me.”

“Wait, what?”

“We got into this fight at the baby shower at Annette’s and he said the reason he didn’t want to meet my parents was because they’d ask why we weren’t married and he didn’t know how to explain that he didn’t want to get married. I guess I’m just not enough for him.”

Peter crossed to Mindy and wrapped her in a hug. He rubbed his hand over her back, trying to soothe her.

“All I had going for me was that I had the baby and now I don’t even have that,” Mindy sobbed out.

“Hey. Hey, shhh. It’s gonna be okay. We’re going to fix this, Mindy. I don’t know how, but we are. Okay?” Peter said, pulling back at the end to look at her.

“Why wouldn’t he want to marry me, Peter?”

“He’d have to be an idiot to not want to be with you,” Peter replied reassuringly.

“I think he still wants to be with me. I just think he doesn’t want to marry me.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I don’t know. I don’t get it.”

“I know this sucks, but we can’t slap around Danny for being an idiot if we aren’t back in our own world. So why don’t we focus on that?”

Mindy nodded. “Good idea.”

“So I’m assuming if you’re living here again that means you have like no food in your fridge…”

“Pretty much. I think I spotted a bag of chips on my bedroom floor…”

“How about this? We eat all the terrible food Danny wouldn’t let you eat while you were pregnant and we get down to business.”

“Chinese! Let’s get Chinese!”

After a few hours of talking through all the differences they had noticed, they came to one conclusion: it all came back to Danny and Mindy’s friendship.

“I never realized us simply being friends had such an impact on the people around us,” Mindy stated, kind of in awe.

“It’s weird how that stuff works,” Peter said, munching on a fortune cookie.

“I guess the biggest question is how do I make Danny be my friend again?”

“Well how did you do it before?”

Mindy thought about how she and Danny came to be friends. They used to hate each other and then suddenly they were friendly. She kept trying to think of different instances where she was nice to him and he was genuinely nice back. She tried to think of times when he did something for her without prompting or when she helped him out and he didn’t complain about her presence. She kept coming back to one single night that seemed to change the course of their relationship.

“Christmas,” was all Mindy uttered.

“Last Christmas? You and Danny were friends way before then!”

“No it was the Christmas before. That was when it changed. When we stopped just being coworkers and seemed to genuinely be friends.”

“Enlighten me,” Peter inquired. “I mean I’m sure you’ve told me this story, like, twelve times but I was probably drunk for most of those…”

Mindy thought back on that night. She remembered the feeling of her stomach sinking when she heard the voicemail from Heather and Danny trying to convince her that she shouldn’t ruin her party because the staff cared. She remembered him finding her on the street as she replayed the message over and over and him trying to cover for her when he accidentally called Heather. She remembered him coming back to the party even though he had places to be and defending her when Heather came in and destroyed everything. The biggest change, though, was when he came into her room to sit with her because he didn’t want her to be alone. That’s not something that coworkers do. That’s what friends do. He tried to cheer her up and told her that whatever guy she ended up with wouldn’t be getting a terrible deal out of it. Coworkers don’t say that. Then they made their pact and when they found everyone else still there, they partied along with them, even dancing together as Jeremy sang.

Mindy realized what she needed to do. “I’ve got it, Peter! I think I know how to fix this.”

**

Mindy strolled into work the next day with flyers in hand. She passed one to every person in the office. It was advertising the big Shulman and Associates appreciation party that she was hosting on Saturday. Everyone seemed to be excited about it. Jeremy looked up at Mindy and waggled his eyebrows to which Mindy scoffed in reply. She could recognize Danny’s telltale groan from the minute he read the flyer.

“Also, I am calling a partners’ meeting in my office. Right now,” Mindy said, urging them to join her. Mindy walked to the doorway of her office and noticed that neither Jeremy nor Danny had moved yet. “I said now!” Mindy called to them. They both trudged toward her office reluctantly.

“What the hell is this about, Lahiri? A party? Is this just because you want cake? You don’t have to drag all of us –“

“Shut up, Danny. This was my meeting, not yours,” Mindy said, authoritatively. If he could be harsh with her, she could be harsh right back.  “I checked the call schedule and none of us on are on call so I expect both of you to be there. I’m having this party at my apartment. I decided that we never do anything as an office and that our staff deserves some time to have fun with each other and us and not look at us as their bosses. This is supposed to be a fun and festive affair and if you aren’t both there I swear that I will figure out a way to torture you for it,” Mindy said, pointedly looking at Danny.

“Can we bring people?” Jeremy asked.

“I mean it’s mainly a work thing but, sure, I guess you could. I’ll allow it,” Mindy agreed.

“We really have to be there?” Danny whined.

“Did I sound like I was going to give on that point?” Mindy argued.

Both men shook their heads.

“Great! Then I will see you at my apartment Saturday evening at 7:00,” Mindy said cheerfully, hoping her plan was falling into place.

“You can’t take off work to plan a party. You do realize it’s Wednesday and your party is Saturday?” Danny countered.

“Obviously I know that. I was just stating when I’d see you guys at my _apartment_ , Silly.” Honestly, after waking up in a new reality, Mindy had no clue of what day it was.

**

Saturday came and Mindy was busy making sure everything was ready for the party. It wasn’t a Christmas party, but Mindy was going to get as close to the other party as she could. She was really hoping tonight would be the trick. She was hoping after tonight she’d be back in her time, pregnant and stressed out, but back nonetheless.

People were arriving and seemed to be having a good time. She had made the rounds with everyone by the time Danny got there. He walked in the door carrying a covered plate. Mindy could feel chest tighten at the sight of him. Having him right there but unattainable was killing her. She may be mad at him in her reality, but it was only because of how much she loved him.

He walked over to the island where she was standing and put down the plate. Mindy looked up at him curiously.

“It’s some cookies. You made a big deal about Jeremy and you and me being the bosses and that we should care about our staff and I thought I should bring something,” Danny explained.

Mindy smiled up at him. She could see the real Danny coming through. Maybe tonight actually would do the trick. It was all she could do to not lean across and kiss him.

“That’s really sweet, Danny. I’m impressed I didn’t even have to prompt you.”

“Don’t make it a big thing. I’m not even gonna be here that long.”

Mindy nodded, holding back a smile. He sounded exactly like he did the night of the Christmas party.

She wandered around and socialized with everyone and watched as Danny did the same. He seemed to be staying a lot longer than she expected.

Peter walked up to her saying, “I think a lot of these people still think I work at the office.”

Mindy laughed. “Well you know they haven’t always been the most astute bunch…”

“Everything going according to plan?”

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but yeah, it kind of is,” Mindy answered happily. She and Peter exchanged a knowing glance before she turned toward the sound of the door opening. Mindy quickly glanced around to make sure Danny hadn’t left. She spotted him chatting with Jeremy in the corner.  Pleased, she turned back to see who had entered her apartment.

Peter jumped at the sound of Mindy’s champagne glass shattering against the floor. She was staring horrified at the new guest to the party.

“Mindy, what’s wrong?” Peter asked hurriedly.

All she did was point. Peter followed her glance and saw the guest glide over towards Danny and place a long kiss on his lips.

“What the hell? Is that…?”

Mindy nodded, still horrified. “Christina.”


	4. Adding Insult to Injury

Mindy stood there shocked into place. Peter cleaned up the shattered glass at her feet. No one else seemed to think anything was wrong. Everything was wrong, though. This was not how the night was supposed to go.

“Mindy, why don’t you just go over there and see what’s going on?” Peter asked, trying to be helpful.

“I don’t think I can,” Mindy replied, her voice shaking.

“Give it like two minutes. It’s possible it’s not what you think. Didn’t you say Danny was still divorced here?”

Mindy looked at Peter desperately. He nodded at her encouragingly and it gave her the strength she needed to go talk to the woman who was supposed to be her boyfriend’s ex-wife. She grabbed a new glass on her way over. She was sure she’d need alcohol for this. She trotted over and stood among the group.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ve met! I’m Mindy. And you are…?” Mindy asked almost too sweetly.

“Oh you must be the hostess. I’m Christina. I’m Danny’s wife,” Christina introduced herself, reaching out her hand to shake. Mindy eyed her skeptically.

As she reached out to meet the shake, Mindy replied, “Funny. I thought it was _ex_ -wife.”

“Mindy!” Jeremy scolded.

“I was actually explaining to Jeremy that we just got remarried,” Danny said, looking at Christina lovingly. She smiled at Mindy brightly. Mindy felt her stomach shifting and she thought she might puke.

“Wow. Well…congratulations. I’m sure the second time will be the charm,” Mindy replied sickly.

“We certainly hope so,” Christina answered.

Mindy was turning to leave but she couldn’t resist one last shot. Danny had to know what an idiot he was. “Yeah! Hopefully this time she won’t cheat on you.” And she turned and walked away. She walked past all her other guests, past Peter, into her closet and out onto the fire escape. It had become her safe haven from gatherings where she got overwhelmed. She remembered different moments she’d had out here. There were lots of times she spent out here by herself. But she also thought of the times when Danny joined her.

How could this have happened? She didn’t think there was a world where Danny was stupid enough to actually marry that bitch again. Maybe Weiner Night had never happened in this world. She had felt so close to getting her old life back. She just wanted to go shake Danny and make him see what an idiot he was. On a more selfish level, Mindy couldn’t help but think of how much that woman was continuously ruining her life without even trying. She was one of the biggest reasons Danny didn’t want to marry Mindy. Mindy heard footsteps and for a brief second she was hopeful it was Danny. He always knew where to find her. When Peter stuck his head through the window, she remembered that Danny probably didn’t even care to find her right now.

“Hey Buddy. You doing okay?” Peter asked as he climbed out the window awkwardly and sat down beside her.

She felt the tears coming. She couldn’t choke out the words. She couldn’t explain to Peter that the man who didn’t want to marry her had remarried the woman who’d left him. Mindy simply looked up at him and shook her head.

“Yeah. I kinda thought so.”

They just sat there for a while in silence as Mindy kept crying. Peter had brought out a bowl of chips with him and occasionally snacked on them. Every time he offered some to Mindy, she passed. That was a surefire sign of how bad it was.

“I just don’t get it, Peter,” Mindy sniffled out. “How could he remarry her but not want to marry me?”

“He remarried her?!” Peter yelled. Mindy nodded in reply. “Holy shit. Do you think maybe in this world she didn’t cheat on him?”

“I don’t know why that would change. It had nothing to do with Danny and my friendship.”

“Oh yeah.”

They sat there in another continued silence until Peter spoke up again. “You know, old new wife or not, Danny seemed like he was in a pretty good mood tonight. And those cookies he brought were pretty boss. Do you think he knows that recipe in our world too?”

Mindy laughed. She knew he had that recipe because he had made them for her before. It hurt a little when she ate them tonight. “He did seem happier. Certainly more approachable than he has at the office lately.”

“Hmm. Maybe it’s you.”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s her,” Mindy added, pessimistically.

**

At work, everyone was raving about how great the party was. They were all in agreement that they really needed it. Even Jeremy and Danny seemed to think it had been a good idea. Danny had turned into a fairly different person since the party. He would bring in lunch for the office. He would talk with people about non-work things. Mindy once even saw him smiling for what seemed like no reason. She could see the Danny that she knew emerging from the shell of the grump; she just didn’t know why it was happening. The thought of it being because of Christina made her sick to her stomach.

It had now been a few weeks and Mindy was no closer to getting home than she was the first day. Danny may be friendlier but it didn’t mean they were actually friends. He treated her the same way he treated everyone at the office. She never felt any special treatment from him. He never talked to her unless there was someone else there. Danny may have started to be happier, but it didn’t mean anything in terms of getting her Danny back.

One day, they were all still shocked that Danny had turned his attitude around so much. Finally Morgan decided he was going to get to the bottom of it. After Danny had finished up with a patient, Morgan was waiting for him right outside his office.

“Dr. C, I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been a lot…different lately.”

“Different? How am I different, Morgan?” Danny asked, noticing that a crowd was gathering.

“How do I put this nicely...?” Morgan started. Everyone helped him out.

“You’re not a dick as often anymore,” chimed Jeremy.

“You actually smile now,” Betsy answered.

“You actually talk to people in the office,” Mindy helped.

Morgan nodded his assent to all of those explanations. Danny laughed and shook his head.

“Okay, sure, I guess I have been a bit happier lately. I didn’t want to tell you guys because it’s none of your business, but I’m really excited and I don’t know that I can keep it in any longer.”

“Omg! I’m so excited. Tell us, tell us, tell us!” Morgan exclaimed. Danny moved further toward reception so that everyone could hear him. Mindy braced herself, expecting to hate whatever news he was sharing. She couldn’t have expected what he actually said though.

“Guys, I’m gonna be a dad!” Danny shared excitedly.

“What?!” Mindy asked, horrified.

“Yeah. Christina’s pregnant!”

As everyone cheered for him and went in for hugs, Mindy excused herself to her office. She barely made it to the trash can before she was throwing up. Sitting back, she didn’t fight the tears. She was sobbing as she collapsed in her chair, lamenting everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so I have a lot of time on my hands! Ha! I hope you guys enjoy frequent updates!   
> Also, I hope you're enjoying this!! Let me know what you think! I'm loving the comments!


	5. Secrets and Lies

After the announcement, Mindy was pretty much a ghost in the office. She didn’t really interact with anyone, she saw her patients, did her paperwork, and went home. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. She couldn’t look at Danny without seeing the joy on his face, knowing that she had seen the same looks from him about _their_ baby. She couldn’t talk with Morgan because he would go on and on about how excited he was for Danny. She had to force him out of her office the day that he suggested they throw a baby shower for Danny and Christina. Going through the day on autopilot was a lot easier even if it didn’t shield her from the pain completely.

“Maybe it was all just a weird dream,” Mindy sighed one night as she threw herself down on her couch one night, wine glass in hand.

“It wasn’t a weird dream. If it was, how would I be in on it?” Peter reasoned. Mindy nodded in reply. They both sat there thinking for a long time. They were past wondering how the hell they were going to turn their situation around.

“You know who I miss?” Peter asked.

“Lauren?”

“Well yeah, but that’s not who I meant. I miss Tamra.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. She always had the best take on things. I wonder what she’d say about this,” Mindy agreed, smiling, wondering where her friend was.

“She’d probably call us goons. Tell us we were craaazy or something like that.”

Mindy laughed, “Probably.” After a beat she added, “Maybe we are crazy.”

“We’re not crazy. We’re just lost.”

Mindy looked over at Peter skeptically. “Okay how much have you had to drink? Did you start before me?”

“I just hate this. I hate watching you come home from work depressed because the man you love is having a baby with another woman. I hate knowing that the woman I love has no clue who I am. I hate that my friends don’t even really know me either. I hate that we thought we knew how to fix this. I mean maybe there is no fix to this. Mindy, maybe there’s no way back.”

Mindy looked over at Peter, concerned. “Don’t say that. Look whatever weird thing happened that cursed me here, it got you here too. I’m sorry that you’re in pain and that Lauren and the gang don’t know who you are, but I am actually thankful that you’re here with me. I think I’d have gone insane by now if I didn’t have you to talk to about it.” She patted Peter on the arm. “And there has to be a way back. I’ll kill myself before I spend the entirety of Christina’s pregnancy here. If she has her baby before me, I’m just gonna die. I can’t watch him fawn over someone else’s baby. I can’t do it.”

Peter sighed. “Maybe we need to stop drinking. It’s not helping with our depression one bit.”

“Good plan. Maybe one of these days we can get ourselves in gear and come up with another getting back plan.”

**

Mindy sat in her office doing paperwork, not bothering anyone, when she heard a knock at the door. She didn’t even think before she said come in.

“Hello there, Mindy! How are you doing today?”

Mindy’s head snapped up to see Christina standing in her doorway. She felt bile creeping up her throat. It was become a constant thing anytime Christina or the baby were brought up. She suspected stress barfs.

Mindy smiled tightly, “Hi Christina. What brings you by? You know, Danny’s office is across reception, so…”

“I’m actually here to see you,” Christina replied, shutting the door behind her and moving to sit in front of Mindy’s desk.

“Why?” Mindy asked, starting to lose her cool.

“Let’s say I was one of your patients,” Christina started.

Mindy interrupted her before she could finish. “Nope. Sorry, but I can’t deliver your baby. I just can’t.”

“I wasn’t actually asking – Wait, why couldn’t you?”

Mindy didn’t want to tell her it was because she was a bitch from hell who was having Mindy’s boyfriend’s baby so she lied the best she could. “I’m actually pretty full. I’m not accepting patients right now.”

“I was actually coming to you for a more time sensitive reason. The thing I wanted to ask you was, if I was your patient, anything I said to you couldn’t get out by law, correct?”

Mindy swallowed hard, wondering where this was going. “Correct. Doctor/patient confidentiality.”

“Great. That’s why I came to you. I think Jeremy would just ignore that and tell.”

“Tell what?”

“I need your help with something.”

Mindy could feel her chest tightening. This felt like she was making a deal with the devil. She knew whatever Christina was being so secretive about was going to hurt Danny. She could feel it. “What do you need help with?”

Christina paused before continuing. Finally she looked back up at Mindy and said, “I need a paternity test.”

**

Mindy had finished up with her patient and had an hour or so before she had her last one of the day. She decided it was time to break her routine and actually speak to someone. Well, to speak to Danny. She had been avoiding him for a while. She’d actually lost track of how long she’d been avoiding him. But now she really needed to talk to him. Her stupid little wish may have had an impact on their friendship, but it made no dent in Christina’s bitchiness.

Knocking on Danny’s door, Mindy felt her nerves ramp up. She was starting to feel shaky. She waited for him to respond before entering.

“Hey, Danny.”

“What do you need? I’m busy,” Danny said, not looking up.

Without asking, Mindy came in and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. It felt so familiar. She had done this a ton of times when they were friends. She avoided looking at his desk because she knew it would hurt to see the picture of the two of them wasn’t there.

“Danny, let’s say that you had a patient who gave you some really interesting news that you knew would hurt someone you loved. What would you do? Would you tell that person?”

“Gee, is it against the law to tell that person, Mindy?”

“Yes, but let’s say there really wouldn’t be consequences in the long run. Then would you tell that person?”

“No. Because I am a doctor and I uphold the laws I’m bound to follow. Did you seriously come in here for this? I’d hope you’re smart enough to know what you can and can’t say, Lahiri.”

Mindy paused, figuring out what to do now. “Okay, well what if you were the person that the news would hurt? What would you want then?”

Danny finally looked up at her. He looked thoughtful for a second. He shook his head quickly and said, “No. It’s not right. You can’t divulge patient information.”

Mindy sighed dramatically. “But what if it is reeealllly important, Danny? Like hella important, could ruin someone’s life important?”

Danny sighed, standing up behind his desk. “Mindy, tell them if you want, but if it comes back on this practice, that’s on you. We don’t need any kind of problems here. And if you bring them down on us, Jeremy and I could be within our legal rights to strip you of your partnership here.”

“I don’t think that’s accurate. In court shows they’d say you’re reaching,” Mindy said, standing up to match his stance.

“Do what you want Mindy, but if you love that person, why would you want to hurt them?”

Mindy stared back at Danny. He wasn’t supposed to sound like that. He was getting too close to sounding like her Danny. She couldn’t take it. She shook her head and walked out of the office. If Danny didn’t want to hear potentially life ruining information, she’d just keep it to herself. Or more accurately, she’d just hold it in until it slipped out at the completely wrong time, creating a volatile situation. That is definitely what would happen.


	6. I Hurt Too

“What are you doing? You have to tell him!” Peter cried.

“Peter, I can’t tell him. One, he doesn’t want me to. Two, how is me telling him terrible news going to make him realize he wants to be my friend?”

“It doesn’t matter. He deserves to know. Mindy, you can’t keep something this big from him,” Peter yelled at her.

“I also can’t tell him!” Mindy yelled back.

Peter finally stopped storming around her apartment like a madman. “Mindy, I know that it’s hard for you right now, but you have to do something to end this whole fucking thing. And I think keeping this secret from him is only going to prolong it. Is that what you want? Have you given up on Danny and Baby Boy Castellano?”

“How dare you! I haven’t given up. I’ve just…I’ve just…”

“You’ve just given up. It’s too hard for you to really do the work you need to do to get us back. I’d love to help, Mindy, but my relationship with Danny isn’t what’s at stake. It’s also not what got us here in the first place. I get that it’s hard for you to have to talk to Danny and hear him talk about his life with another woman, particularly one who’s apparently cheating on him again, but you’re not gonna get us back to our regular lives without talking to him. Avoiding Danny is literally the last thing you should be doing. You need to be barging in and telling him stupid anecdotes and bringing him the coffee you know he likes. You need to make him see that you’re not just some bimbo he works with.”

“Some bimbo? Excuse me?”

“I’m not saying that’s what you are. But if he doesn’t see the real person you are then he’s not going to know the difference.”

“Peter, this is harder than it seems, okay? Do you know what it’s like for me at the office? I walk in my office and I see the place Danny danced for me to cheer me up at Christmas. I see the place I used to sneak him in so I could make out with him while we were still “being cool.” I go to the damn bathroom and I see the place Danny told me he loved me for the first time. I go to the doctor’s lounge at the hospital and remember Danny finding me there when he knew I was pregnant. Everywhere I turn there’s some reminder of Danny and what we had. God even here in my own damn apartment. I’m sorry that it’s hard for me to get things moving when every step I take reminds me of what I had and what I stupidly wished away.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t think it was hard, Mindy. I get that that it’s hard. But you’re not the only person who’s lost people you loved. I’m in this too. It’s possibly worse for me because I can’t do anything to stop it. I can’t do anything at all. It’s all on you. I realize that’s a lot of pressure but at least you have your job. It’s been over a month here, Mindy, and I have nothing to distract me from how much I miss Lauren and Henry. You can see patients and forget for a half an hour. I have nothing. You wanna know what I do with my day? I go and sit at this little café outside Lauren’s work hoping I catch a glimpse of her. She used to like to eat there so I try to get there around lunchtime and hope I bump into her. That’s what I’m living for right now is glances and chance interactions with my fiancée. I clearly know that it’s hard. But Mindy, you have to do something to end the cycle. You can’t just wish it back to the way it was. You already tried that.”

Mindy felt terrible. Of course Peter was in this with her. That’s the only way she was getting through it. He was one of her best friends and lately all she’d been treating as lately was a therapist and sidekick. She’d kind of forgotten what he’d lost in this too.

“I’m sorry, Peter. I’ve been a jerk. I just…I don’t know what I can do anymore. Especially not with this paternity test hanging over my head.”

“Well I guess that’s something you need to figure out for yourself. But Mindy, please, for the love of God, do _something_ ,” Peter replied, grabbing his coat and walking toward the door.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“You need some time to think. And nothing I say is going to help you do that.”

Mindy watched Peter walk out the door. As it closed she realized how selfish she was being. She thought she was preserving her strength by avoiding Danny. She thought she could handle it if she just tiptoed around everything painful. But all she was doing was prolonging her time here. She owed it to Peter and to Danny and to herself to finally just fix things. She didn’t know how she was going to do it but she knew no matter how painful it was, she had to do something.

She put on her coat and decided to take a walk to clear her head. Sitting in her apartment every night clearly had done nothing to get things going. Mindy started strolling through the city. Every now and then a memory would flash in her mind. Instead of letting them be painful, she thought of them as motivation. They were serving as her encouragement to get back to what she had at home.

She knew there was a conversation to be had once she got there, but she also knew what it was like to live without Danny. That changed things. She may still have things she wants out of life, but one of those things is Danny. She stopped and closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was walking the streets of New York with Danny and their little boy. As she felt tears filling her eyes, she opened them and kept walking, new motivation filling her. She didn’t fully realize where she was going. She kept walking blindly, passing lots of familiar buildings. Suddenly she knew exactly where she was headed. She walked another block, stopped, and looked up. She was standing in front of Danny’s building. Their building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of filler but it's the catalyst to what happens next. Plus I wanted to explore Peter's side a little bit. Stay tuned!  
> Thanks for reading and commenting and leaving kudos! I love it!


	7. We Almost Had It All

The building stood before her. It was all familiar and yet it was completely different. Danny probably didn’t even live here anymore. With the bitch and the baby, they’d probably relocated to Jersey like he had when she went to Haiti. She walked forward and sat down on the steps. There was a weird kind of comfort from sitting down there. She felt like if she closed her eyes tight enough and wished hard enough she would have the key to the security door and she could go upstairs back to her life. She didn’t know how long she was sitting there before she heard him.

“Oh God. Which one of my neighbors are you stalking?” Danny asked, walking toward the stairs but not climbing them.

Mindy popped her head up at the sound of his voice. “What?”

“Did you know I live here? Are you stalking me? Oh Lord, did you call my mom and get my address or something? That totally sounds like something you’d do.”

Mindy scoffed. “No. I didn’t call Annette. God.” When she saw his reaction to her name drop, she realized she’d said too much.

“How do you know my mother’s name?”

Mindy shook her head. She didn’t want to get into that now. She didn’t even think she’d run into him here. “It’s a long story.”

“Why are you here, Lahiri?”

Mindy paused. She had so many things she wanted to tell him. She didn’t even know where to start. “Why are you with her?” It wasn’t the ideal place to start, but at least she got words out.

“Excuse me?”

“Christina. Why did you go back to her?”

Danny paused, evaluating her. Mindy could tell he didn’t want to say anything. “Danny, why don’t you pretend that I’m a person you confide in? Just help me understand. Why are you with her?”

“Because she’s my wife,” Danny said with a shrug.

“Seriously? Not because you love her? Just because she’s your wife?”

“Why do you care so much about my marriage?”

“Because it’s the reason I may never get married!” Mindy spat out before she realized what she said.

“What the hell do I have to do with you getting married? I don’t pick the losers you date.”

“I didn’t mean that. I just…I don’t get why you went back to her after she hurt you,” Mindy explained.

“I don’t know why it matters to you.”

Mindy paused. She was fairly certain she was going to get nothing from this conversation. She certainly wasn’t going to gain his friendship. She could hear Peter’s voice in her head reminding her that Danny needed to know.

“She came to me for a paternity test,” Mindy said simply.

“What?”

“She said she didn’t go to Jeremy because she thought he wouldn’t respect doctor/patient confidentiality so she came to me. I guess she underestimated my loyalty,” she explained.

Danny stared her down. It was as if he was trying to see if she was lying. He should know her well enough to know this isn’t something she’d joke about, though. “Did you do it? The test, I mean.”

Mindy shook her head. “I told her to go to hell. I kicked her out of my office and told her that I thought you deserved better.”

Danny scoffed. “Oh do you? Like who? You?” He laughed as he said it. Mindy broke eye contact. She knew it was a sure sign of keeping a secret but she couldn’t look into his eyes and lie to him about that.

“Whoa. _Do_ you mean you?” Danny asked, stepping slightly closer to where she sat still on the stairs. Mindy wouldn’t answer him and she wouldn’t make eye contact with him. There was a long silence between them. Mindy didn’t make any movements to leave, and to her shock, neither did Danny. He stayed right where he was, seemingly interested in whatever was happening. It was now or never. She just decided to hell with all of it, she was going to lay it all on the line.

“I’m going to tell you something and I know it sounds insane but just hear me out. Okay?” Danny nodded in reply. “I’m not used to this version of you…”

“Oh really? Then what version of me are you used to?” Danny asked skeptically.

“This is going to go a lot easier if you don’t interrupt me. Okay?” Danny nodded. Mindy continued, “I’m used to a version of you where you’re my friend, where you care about my well-being. I’m used to a version of you where you’re happy, where you actually care about the people at work. You’re a good son and brother and also an expectant father.” Danny noticeably perked up at that. “You are a different person. You see the best in people, even if you can’t see it in yourself. I knew where you lived because with this other version of you…I live here too. At least until you finish the house you bought for our family.”

Danny looked stunned. “You’re saying in this dream land of yours, we’re together?”

“It’s not a dream. At least I’m fairly certain it’s not. But yeah we are. We became friends and when you couldn’t hold back your feelings for me anymore, you grabbed me in the galley of the plane we were on and you kissed me. We dated in secret until you ended things because you thought you would ruin it. You fought hard to get me back and we’ve been together ever since. And we are now expecting a child. A boy, to be precise.”

Danny made eye contact for the first time since she’d started explaining everything. “Prove it to me that this is real.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me something about me that you know I’ve never told you here?”

Mindy thought for a second. “You were a stripper named Diamond Dan to pay your way through medical school.”

Danny’s jaw dropped. He quickly righted himself, swallowing hard before saying, “I don’t know. I think a google search could probably tell you that.” She rolled her eyes in response.

He paused, looking back up at her curiously. “So, uh, if we’re so happy, how did you end up here?”

Mindy was confused because it actually sounded like he believed her. “Umm…I was stupid. I was hurt and I was mad at you and I wished that we had never become friends. Strike of lightning, boom, here I am.”

“I hurt you?” Danny asked. He looked scared at the thought of it. “What did I do? Did I leave you?”

“No, don’t worry; you’re not like your dad.” Mindy paused. “You said you didn’t want to marry me.”

“I did?” Mindy nodded in reply.

“But I was stupid. Deep down if I really thought about it, I shouldn’t have been surprised that you didn’t want to get married.”

“Because of Christina?”

“Yeah. But now all I can think about is everything I’ve lost. I lost the love of my life and my child all in one fell swoop. And I miss you. It’s even worse having you here because you’re you but you’re not you at the same time. There are times when you’ll say things and I get excited because it sounds like my Danny. And then just as quickly you’ll say something else and it’s gone. Having you so close and happy with someone else, it’s killing me. I miss waking up and seeing you first thing. I miss the little looks you’d give me in the office because you were just happy to see me. I miss you talking to my stomach because you were determined for the baby to recognize your voice. I miss talking with you about my day and having you genuinely care what happened. I miss how you’d talk about things with such passion. I always felt so special when I was one of those things. God, I miss pretty much everything about you even though you’re right in front of me.”

All Danny did was stare at her. She could see his features soften as his silence stretched on. “So how are you supposed to get back to that?”

Mindy was taken aback. “You sound like you believe me.”

Danny stepped up onto the first step. “All I know is that even when we were at our best, Christina never talked about me like that. Or looked like that when she talked about me.”

Mindy nodded, unsure of what to say. She was blown away that he wasn’t calling her insane. Neither of them spoke. They didn’t look at each other either. Finally Mindy couldn’t stand it any longer.

“You were the person I was talking about today. When I wanted to spill the important news.”

Danny just nodded in reply. Mindy could sense how awkward it would be from now on at the office. She didn’t feel she was any closer to getting back. She stood up to leave. She didn’t want Danny to have to give the whole “I’m married” spiel. That might actually be the end of her.

“This going to be fairly uncomfortable at the office, so you may not see me there for a while…” Mindy said as she walked down the stairs. She was about to pass him when she felt him tug on her arm.

“Mindy, wait.”

He stepped onto the sidewalk and spun her around into him. Before she could process anything, he grabbed her face and started to kiss her. His lips crashed against hers as he kissed her deeply. Mindy was so shocked by the gesture that she was a bit sluggish to respond. As their lips started moving together, she felt emboldened enough to deepen the kiss. Like just about everything had been, kissing this version of Danny felt the same but not quite. As quickly as it started, Danny broke away. He still held her face in his hands, his eyes trained on her.

“I had to see what all your fuss was about.”

Mindy looked at his lips and then back up to his eyes. “And?”

Danny smirked and immediately pulled her back in for another kiss. They kissed each other passionately, not caring that they were in public on the street. She threaded her hands through his hair and he moved his hands from her face to wrap her in closer to him. She opened her mouth and his tongue quickly found hers. Mindy was so caught up in their kiss that she missed the lightning flashing across the sky until it struck down and hit the sidewalk where they stood.

**

Mindy opened her eyes and looked around frantically. She was in Central Park. She was looking around for her purse when she noticed her swollen stomach. She roved her hands across it to make sure it was real. As if for emphasis, she felt the baby kick. A tear was trickling down her cheek but she was laughing happily. She was back! And now she knew what she needed to do. Standing up, she walked toward the street, ready to hail a cab. As she got in the back and gave the driver Danny’s address, her address, she said to herself, “I’m coming back, Danny.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really pleased with the way this chapter turned out. I hope you liked it too! Please let me know what you think! I love to read the comments! They legitimately make my day.  
> There's one chapter left. I had it written but I didn't really like it so I'm doing some rewriting on it! Hopefully it won't take me too long!  
> Thanks for reading!


	8. There's No Getting Rid of Me

Mindy jumped out of the cab and stopped to look at the steps that she had just been sitting on. A smile spread across her face as she raced forward and in the building. Waiting for the elevator felt like forever but she was not about to take the stairs. Finally it opened and she ran on, pushed her floor, and then kept pushing the close door button until it actually closed. She was antsy the entire time she on her way up to the apartment. Walking to the door, her hands were shaking as she stuck in the keys. What if Danny wasn’t there? She didn’t know how she’d feel if she came back to an empty apartment again.

She walked inside slowly. She hadn’t even closed the door yet when she heard her name.

“Mindy?!”

He was there. “Danny?” She put down her keys and saw Danny sprinting out of their room toward her. He had a look of panic and relief on his face at the same time. Before she got a chance to explain anything he wrapped her up in a tight embrace. One of his hands was cradling her head as the other was on her back, holding her tightly to him. She could feel him shaking as if he was crying. She wondered if maybe he had been in some strange parallel universe as well.

She tightened her arms around his waist as they stood there holding each other for a while. She had so much she wanted to tell him, but at the same time she was fine just holding him and being held by him. She had craved this for too long. And yet apparently no time had passed. When they finally broke apart, she looked up and wiped his tears away. He held one of her hands against his face. She smiled when he turned into it and kissed her palm.

Danny could barely speak but he whispered, “I thought you had left.” Mindy looked closer at him. He seemed so shaken. She moved back into him, hugging him again.

“I’m not going anywhere, Danny.”

He held her tighter in response. Without pulling away he asked, “But you said…?”

“I was hurt Danny. I’m not going to lie about that. But I never said I was leaving.”

“When I came back and saw that you weren’t here, I thought it had happened. I thought I had lost you.”

Mindy pulled back and looked at him. She held his gaze for a beat before speaking. “You won’t lose me. I may be hurt but nothing hurts worse than not having you. I promise.”

Danny looked at her with an almost confused look in his eye. “Where did you go when you left Ma’s?”

Mindy smiled and shook her head. “I think the short answer of that is the park. But I spent some time, um, thinking about what it would be like without you. And Danny, I’d rather be with you, not married, than watch you live your life with someone else.”

“Min, I –“

“I mean it. I know what I said about wanting to get married, but we’re a family. And we’ll always be a family,” Mindy said, taking Danny’s hand and holding it to her belly. “All I want is us,” she said confidently. “You know, other than a healthy baby and all that. But you know that.”

Danny leaned in and kissed her forehead. He looked down at her shaking his head in awe of her. “I love you, Mindy. And I always will.”

Mindy nodded. “I know. But if for the next few weeks you wanted to say that more often, I wouldn’t be opposed…” she said, reflecting on how long it felt like she went without hearing him say it.

Danny nodded and laughed as he turned to head back toward the bedroom. “Oh, and Danny?” He turned back to look at her. “I love you, too.” He smiled and headed off for the other room.

She followed him in and saw him pick up his phone. He was texting out some long message. “Who are you texting?”

“Morgan. I thought I’d tell him to call off his search.” Looking up and seeing her confused face, Danny continued, “When you weren’t here I wanted to go look for you but I figured you wouldn’t want to see me so I sent Morgan. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I wanted to know you were safe.”

Mindy walked around the bed toward Danny. She stopped in front of him, wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him. He tossed his phone on the bed and pulled her closer to him, deepening their kiss. 

Her phone started ringing, startling them out of their kiss. When she saw it was Peter, she gave Danny an apologetic look and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Mindy, you beautiful bastard, you did it!” Mindy laughed in reply.

“How? How did you manage it?” Mindy looked up at Danny who seemed to be listening in on her half of the phone call. She figured one day she might try to explain to him what happened to her. The other Danny had believed her. She certainly hoped hers would too. But right now she didn’t feel like talking about it. All she really felt like doing was lying in the arms of the man she loved. The man she finally had gotten back.

“You know what, Pete I’ll explain it to you another time. Now you have a fantastic wedding tomorrow! Okay? I’m so happy for you and Lauren.”

“Thank you, Mindy. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Mindy looked back at Danny, fully recognizing again all that she had gotten back. “Never be sorry, Peter. I needed it.”

**

“Hey there Little Guy. How are you doing this morning? You ready for some breakfast?” Danny asked the baby, his head against Mindy’s tummy.

“Oh God. Now he is kicking up a storm. Thanks, Danny,” Mindy whined. Really though, she had missed the little movements of her baby and was thrilled to be feeling him kick again. Danny just smiled and kissed her stomach before standing back up and walking toward the stove.

“Chocolate Chip pancakes still okay?” Danny asked.

Mindy looked at him blankly. “Is that a question?” Danny laughed and started pouring the batter on the griddle.

They were chatting as Danny cooked away. Mindy didn’t even care what they were talking about. She was relishing just being able to talk to Danny again. That whole “you don’t know what you have until you lose it” principle definitely held up. Mindy looked up excitedly as Danny brought both their plates over to the table. Before he even set them down, she could tell that instead of the big pancakes that he usually made, they were the little ones.

“Ugh, Danny. Silver dollars? Why didn’t you make your normal sized pancakes? I am eating for two.”

Danny shook his head. “I still have more batter left, so I can make more. But try them, you might like them,” he said, putting her plate down in front of her.

Mindy looked down at her plate and gasped. The chocolate chips spelled out letters and the pancakes were arranged in a certain order. Together they spelled: _Marry Me_.

**

It was over an hour later when Mindy was finally eating her pancake breakfast. After all the crying and kissing had stopped, she had insisted on Danny making new pancakes for her because she couldn’t eat the others. Every few bites Mindy had to stop and look at the ring on her finger. They ate happily, leaning over to kiss every so often. As she sat there Mindy realized two very important things. One, she had never been happier in her life. And two, becoming friends with Danny Castellano was incomparably the best thing that had ever happened to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who read and left kudos and comments! It was great to have such encouragement to keep writing!! I really appreciate all the support! Hopefully another idea comes to me soon and I can start on another story!  
> As always, let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed the ending!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like this story line!  
> There should be pretty quick updates because I just graduated and now have nothing to do! :)
> 
> You can find me here on tumblr: http://allmylovesatonce.tumblr.com/


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